Father instinct
by AngieGrayson
Summary: Dick is hurt badly, and Bruce found himself thinking about his line of work, and how it will affect Dick to let it go. Daddybats!. First fic guys, be gentle, please, and enjoy! Amazing Cover by Asha Carcella!
1. Chapter 1

Father instinct

**Well...Hello guys! This is actually my first fic (*Gasp* I'm nervous) I hope you'll enjoy it and thanks to the amazing and wonderful Asha Carcella this chapter is corrected. And there wouldn't be any mistakes. :D. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, DC does.**

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There he was, lying in the hospital bed at the Batcave, again. Bruce had seen this picture so many times for his liking. Sitting in a hard chair was Bruce and there in the white hospital mattress was Dick, his protégé, his partner, his son. His eyelids were closed lightly, his chest rose and fell in weak breaths. There was an I.V. attached to his right hand. White bandages covered both of his arms and a very ugly scratch on his left cheek. The EKG monitors beeping with his regular heart beats.

"_What were you thinking, Wayne?" _Though Bruce, trying hard not beginning to scream in anger_ "He is your partner and you couldn't protect him_" He was more than that, he was his son

It begun as a simple nightly patrol , but it became pretty hard when they fell into a tramp; Two Face was already waiting for them with a lot of thugs behind him. Batman and Robin weren't enough for all of them; well… they could have been enough if there hadn't been that stupid bomb

"Sorry" Bruce whispered to the sleeping Dick, noting how pale he was

Dick's eyelids began to tremble and suddenly two big light blue eyes were staring at Bruce

"Bruce?" Dick said with weak voice

"I'm here, chum" Bruce looked to the young hero with worried eyes "How're you feeling?"

"Like if I was hit by a truck" Richard tried to joke

"Well, almost" Bruce didn't even smile

"How bad?" asked Dick beginning to worry

"Three broken ribs, two bruised, one broken leg and a lot of scratches all over your body" said Bruce, again trying not to shout.

"Ouch?" The young hero tried to laugh but stopped when he realize how much it hurt "Not asterous"

"What hurts?" Bruce knew it was a stupid question, but he had to ask something

"I'm fine, Bruce" said the raven haired boy "I could run a marathon"

"I don't think so" Bruce walked over to the edge of the bed to adjust the dial of the pain killers in the I.V. bag "You need to rest"

"Bruce…I…I don't want to…to sleep…again" with the medication already working in his system Richard couldn't even protest with enough energy

"Just a couple of hours more, chum. You'll be alright, just rest" said Bruce stroking gently the boy's raven hair

Dick began to fall in the darkness and soon he was asleep

* * *

"He'll recover, Bruce" Dr. Leslie said gently touching the man's shoulder. Alfred had called Leslie since the moment Bruce told him that Dick was hurt.

"I know Leslie. It's just…I'm not sure that letting him be Robin is safe anymore" said Bruce holding Dick's hand. The boy was still asleep

"Bruce, can you imagine what kind of reaction Richard would show if you don't let him be Robin anymore?" said the woman checking on the heart monitor "Robin is, somehow, Dick himself"

"I know, I know Leslie, but he's so young…"

"Bruce" Leslie cut him off "You let him become Robin when he was nine, if there was a time when you should've said he was too young, then that was it, not now. Besides he is a great hero and has you as a mentor, which makes it better" Leslie smiled tenderly

"Thanks, Leslie" Bruce smirked to her

"You're welcome, Bruce. Now I have to leave, please call me if something changes. OK?

"Sure, Leslie" The woman leaved, and Bruce just stayed there thinking about the first time Dick had gone out as Robin

_"From the moment you put the mask on, you're not Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's ward, besides you're Robin, Batman's partner" Bruce said solemnly to a nine-year-old Richard Grayson. The eyes of the boy grew bigger and an exited giggle flew out of his mouth_

"_And I'll be able to go on patrol with you?" said the little boy _

"_Well, of course, chum, that's why you are my partner" Bruce smirked a little_

"_Cool! Thanks, Bruce" the boy said. He was the cutest thing that Bruce had ever seen (in a paternal way, of course!)With his messy raven hair, his big baby blue eyes, his pale skin and his bright personality. He was just adorable, an adorable little acrobat "Now I'm Robin, The Boy Wonder!"_

"_The Boy Wonder?" Bruce raised an eyebrow _

"_Hey! You're the World Greatest Detective! I have the right to be The Boy Wonder" said Dick pouting lightly _

"_Yes, you have that right" now Bruce was smiling _

"_We're going to be the greatest team in the world!" said the hero now named Robin, doing some back flips_

_Bruce couldn't help but smile a little bit more_

"I can't lose you, Dick" said the man softly, snapping out of his memories

"I'm not going anywhere, Bruce" said a weak voice

When Bruce looked down, he saw Dick smiling at him from the hospital bed. Bruce blushed lightly

"Sorry, did I wake you?" said the older man

"Nah, you didn't make any noise" the young hero smirk "And Bruce seriously, I'm not going anywhere, so stop drugging me up, like a little kid!" said Dick with an annoyed tone in his voice

"Why did you wake up, then?" said Bruce

Dick bit his lower lip and lowered his gaze, ashamed

"Nightmares?" Bruce guessed

"…yeah" the boy said in a soft whisper

Bruce gently stroked Dick's raven hair and smiled at him

"It's ok, I'm here with you, and just like you I'm not going anywhere, Dick" said the older man "Go back to sleep"

"Thanks Bruce" said Richard closing his eyes and letting sleep take him, but before he fell into a peaceful slumber, he said in a soft whisper "Love you, dad"

Bruce´s eyes grew bigger at this statement, Dick didn't call him all the time, and when he does it was a very…very special occasion

"Love you too, son"

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**So...what do you think about it? Did you liked it? Am I a terrible writer? Review please! Tell me what do you think about the first chapter. Thanks for reading! I want to thank Asha Carcella for correcting me, and because is going to be doing Beta in this story. THANKS! *Claps* **


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoa, this took way too long! But it's finally here for you, guys. Thanks to all the wonderful people that took the time to write a review about the first chapter. Thank you so much! They made me really happy :D. Anyway…Enjoy **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story :( **

Chapter 2

"Dude, you look like crap."

That was the first thing Robin heard when he entered the cave with a pair of crutches and bandages wrapped all over his body. The whole team was there waiting for the little bird to arrive and the one who had to obviously speak first was Kid Flash. And such encouraging words. The rest of the team just stood there with their eyes wide in surprise.

"Wow, thanks, KF," said the youngest member of the team with a note of sarcasm and annoyance in his voice.

"Well, it's true," that only made the acrobat glare at him.

KF just ignored the glare, like the best friend he was, "What happened to you?"

"Are you ok? Do you need to sit down?" that was M'gann, being the gentlest member of the team, as always.

"I'm fine, thanks Miss M, just a little bit bruised, nothing that I can't handle. And KF a mission went wrong the other night and well…I ended up like this. It was bad only the first two days," he smirked.

"Not to be rude, my friend, but shouldn't you be resting in your…home?"Aqualad said, not quite sure if he had to say home or Batcave.

"Yeah, dude. Why isn't Agent A taking care of you?" said Kid Flash who knew exactly who Robin was and the situation of the "rich and famous Dick Grayson."

"We should take a seat, I think he's getting tired," Conner said, talking for the first time with an inexpressive voice but with concern for his young friend.

"Conner is right, let's go to the sofa. Need any help, Boy Wonder?" said Artemis looking at Robin. The boy just rolled his eyes behind his shades.

"I can handle it myself. Thanks, Artie."

Slowly he made his way to the sofa, with his friends behind him. They were silently taking care of him. Finally he reached the sofa and let himself fall carelessly onto it.

"Well, talk, Boy Wonder," Wally was worried, very worried. His friend shouldn't be there if he was so hurt and beaten, he should be resting at the manor or the Batcave, elsewhere safer than Mount Justice.

"Since Batman is on an off Earth mission with the League and Agent A is taking care of some relatives out of Gotham, Batman said I could come here so you can babysit me," the last part was said with a bitter note in his voice.

'Lately Bruce is not acting the same around me as he did before the accident' thought the boy 'What's his problem? It's not like I have never been hurt like this'

'He is trusting us his little bird' thought Wally amazed.

"I'm sure he didn't mean babysit but keep an eye on you," Aqualad tried to up Robin's mood .

"Isn't that the same?" but the young hero seemed to have a lot of thoughts on his mind to realize that.

"Rob, you're exaggerating, he's just worried about you," Wally knew Bruce, he knew the love and trust between the two of them, he had seen it, and somehow he was sure Bruce was just worried about Dick, because he was hurt, not because he didn't trust the raven haired boy.

"Well he shouldn't be…."

"_Intruder alert"_ the mechanic voice of the computer in the cave interrupted Robin's sentence and made the teens look confused. Someone entered in the room making everyone gasped in surprise.

_Not him, please not him._

"Oh…Hello kids!" said the one who had entered "Who's ready to play with uncle J?"

Within a second Aqualad and M'gann reacted. M'gann turned on the mental connection and Aqualad began to give orders.

'Superboy grab Robin and get him out of here, Kid Flash Miss Martian distract him, Artemis try to contact the League. Now!'

Conner took Robin in his arms, even with the glare that Robin gave him behind the sunglasses. But the Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime had already thrown a knock-out-gas tablet which made Wally, Aqualad, M'gann and Artemis pass out. It was some strong stuff.

The madman called Joker was now laughing hysterically. Thinking of all the funny things he could do with these kids, but especially with the little bird…wait! Something was really wrong! Little Robin was all beaten up and he had nothing to do with. Why? Someone else had hurt Robin and it hadn't been him! It had to be fixed right now. But then the super kid took the boy and tried to get away with him. Not an option.

"Where are you going, super brat?" Joker was walking toward the two boys with a hand in his pocket.

Conner tried to get out of there, but the mad man was faster and gets a green tiny rock out if his pocket.

'Shit' Robin thought while Conner was falling to the ground unconscious, weakened by the kryptonite.

'There goes my last chance' Conner had let Robin fall to the ground in the moment he felt the weakness overtaking him. And the Boy Wonder didn't even have the strength to get up and fight, his whole body hurt and the knock out gas was getting into his system 'Bruce…'

The last thing he saw was Joker getting nearer with a huge horrible smile on his face, then only darkness.

**Oh God…poor poor little Robin. I'm a horrible person for doing that to him, right? Don't worry, he is not going to suffer…that much. **

**Thanks for reading! Review? :3 **

**Angie **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! I know it took longer this time, but I swear it wasn't supposed to be like that. I went trough a harsh month and the chapter erased itself once. Sorry...Anyway it's here now! So enjoy! Oh and thanks to all the amazing people who reviewed the last chapter and to all the people who put this story in his fav/follow list. Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone here. (Even though I wish I would have a little Robin for myself :D) **

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Chapter 3

"What the hell happened?" Batman was going to kill someone, his voice was quiet and inexpressive as always, but the glare that he was giving…that glare could haunt you in your nightmares. He was in the Watch Tower; he went there when he received an urgent call from the League, something about the Team. Something concerning Richard.

"We got an emergency call two hours ago, it was from the cave, but it didn't say anything just a few noises and then just static, it only last for a few seconds," It was Diana who was talking to him, any other Leaguer would cry in her position but not her.

She just knew Bruce too well to know he was deadly worried about Robin and his missing in action status. "We went to investigate, but when we got into the cave, there were just five of the kids. Robin was nowhere to be seen," Diana said.

"Where are the others?" Bruce could barely keep his voice calm, because inside his mind was complete chaos. Dick was gone. Dick was gone, for heaven's sake! He trusted the team once, and they fail, they let Dick disappear and in his current beaten state. What the hell were they doing?!

"They are unconscious. When we arrived at the Cave they were all unconscious and none of them had woken up yet," The princess took a deep breath and the she continued, "We found this," Diana gave him a colorful card.

Joker. Bruce's heart jumped with one look at that single card. Joker had Dick. _No_. The life of his son couldn't be in hands of that madman._ No_.

"_How_ did he get in there?" his voice was stoic, barely letting them know his emotions that were swirling around in turmoil.

"They implanted a virus in the Cave's system; it deactivated all the danger protocols and then it just blew off the security system. We already worked in the anti-virus and eliminated any rest of the virus left in the system. But that's not Joker's style, it belongs to someone who plans strategically and not only wants Robin…but the entire League. Luthor, of course. But according to the reporters he is not planning anything yet. So maybe Joker just stole it from him…we have to investigate to know if it's the entire League or just you and Robin…" Diana explained.

"I have to find him, I have to go," he whispered with his voice almost trembling.

"Bruce, wait," Diana grabbed his hand with a worried look in his blue eyes, "We can help you, just wait until the others arrive here and then we can work together to find him, we care about him…"

"I think you don't understand, princess, he is my responsibility, my partner." _My son_ he didn't add.

"He's not yours nor Superman's or Flash's, he's my charge and I can't wait for you all to help me find him," his voice was a horrible mix of worry and anger that made the Amazon princess shivered and let go of his hand.

"Now if you excuse me, I have to save my partner because a bunch of useless teenage heroes couldn't protect him."

He travelled by the zeta-tubes toward the cave, so he could begin an intense investigation about the place where Richard was. And even if he denied it later, he was deadly worried about his son's life. While he was investigating, some chaotic thoughts entered his mind and hit him with a force he thought he'll never feel again since the first time Dick was kidnapped by Joker.

'It's my fault; I let him go with them, even when he was hurt…'

"Master Bruce," Alfred interrupted the chaotic thoughts.

With worried eyes he studied his older charge. He didn't need to be very smart to guess the thoughts in his head.

"This is not your fault, and I know Master Richard will think the same if he'd know what you are thinking."

"But I let him go with the Team, Alfred; I should've known that he wasn't safe there, I should've known that they couldn't keep him safe…" It was a torture for him not to know what was happening to his son.

"I know it's hard to think about the things that we should have done to keep horrible events like this from happening. Mater Bruce, but sometimes it can't be stopped and we have to deal with it. Now, we have to focus on find Master Dick and bringing him home safe, don't you think so?"

"Yes, yes we…I have to focus on finding him and bringing him home," His voice was barely above a whisper and it sounded as if he was suffering a lot on the inside, like if his whole body was being tortured with some kind of horrible feeling that only a parent could feel. He, after all, was Dick's father in one way or another.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he could feel his whole body aching. It was a small place where his body barely could fit, that taking in count he wasn't as flexible as always because of all the wounds he was dealing with. It was dark, deadly dark. Maybe…a trunk? His hands and leg were tied making his position more uncomfortable.

'Ok, keep calm' he could feel the sunglasses still in its place. 'He doesn't want to know your identity and that's a good thing, but you're unarmed and hurt…breath, Bruce is coming.'

There was no movement around him, and whatever he was in was definitely not moving.

'I wonder how the others are; I think he didn't take them because I wouldn't be in a trunk if he did. No, he only wants me. Damn! I can't even move, I can't escape if I can't move. This is definitely a disaster' the boy thought nervously because of the incertitude of his situation.

He knew for sure that Bruce was coming, but something told him that he was going to suffer…NO! Bruce was coming! And he wasn't afraid, he was strong, he promised Bruce that he was never going to be afraid when he became Robin…

"Bird Brain! You awake?" He heard the sound of Joker's horrible voice and tried to control the trembling of his hands.

'I'm not scared' he told himself. But in fact, he was. Maybe he was the youngest and greatest hero, but now… He was in his civilian clothes, not in his costume and all beaten up, he felt exposed and fragile; he wasn't capable to protect himself like that. But no matter what Joker did, he was never going to show the fear that he felt.

He felt the trunk move and then it opened letting him fall to the ground with a thud.

"Oh Boy Blunder, you've been very bad and you need to be punished by your Uncle J!" The clown was pretty close to him with his characteristic grin on his face. "You played with someone else and now you have to play with me…let's get started!"

Joker brought an old and dirty suitcase that somehow Dick knew contained all of his torture equipment.

"Let's have some fun, after all I didn't go through all that trouble stealing Luthor's virus just to let you go unharmed, did I?" the villain approached the boy with an evil smile.

He brought a knife -that he took out of the suitcase- to his neck, pressing it lightly to make thin lined cuts all around his body, his hands, his arms, his chest –after tearing apart his hoodie and jacket- and his cheeks. Eventually the cuts he made grew deeper. Blood dripped down from the cuts but Richard's thoughts were elsewhere, far away from the pain that he was experiencing.

"Why don't you sing, little bird?" The madman was getting upset, but he didn't lose the horrible grin on his face.

He only got more violent, pulling out his new favorite steel pole and hammer, one hit after rained down on his body that was already covered in bruises and blood. He could feel the pain now, but somehow he didn't make a sound, he didn't even flinch from the pain, he just stayed there thinking, 'Bruce is coming, Bruce is coming' until he lost consciousness.

And Bruce did come. He stopped Joker just before he destroyed the boy completely and when he saw his little bird, he almost cried –but Batman does not cry-. His little bird was broken, covered in fresh blood and purple bruises. He was unconscious and bleeding so badly that he looked deadly pale. Bruce got near him and grabbed him gently. Dick emitted a moan from the pain.

"Shhh, I'm here, you're safe now. Sorry, my little bird," he whisper softly to the boy. He had to act quickly, Dick needed medical help immediately. He rushed over the Batmobile to get Robin to Leslie's clinic.

"I…knew…you were…coming," said the boy with a broken voice.

Bruce felt his heart break with that. Dick trusted him, and he had been late for him, to rescue him. Not again, not ever again would he let Dick suffer like that and there was just one way to do that…

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**Wow it was longer than usual. Did you liked it? What do you think? I swear next chapter is taking less time, guys. Sorry again! I know I'm a terrible person for doing that to our little bird but it was necessary :( (Besides I like to torture him a bit *evil smile*)**

**Review? Thanks for reading ;)**

**P.D. Did I mention I have an incredible and amazing beta? Thanks Asha Carcella! *Cheers***

**Angie **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC characters :(**

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Bruce let Gordon deal with Joker; the important thing now was Dick…just him. If there was any problem he would deal with it later. The broken boy in his arms could barely breathe. Was it a collapsed lung? Some of his limbs where twisted in odd angles. Broken bones? Blood was running down from the corner of his mouth. Internal bleeding? He was bleeding a lot from different places all over his body. His clothes and shades were destroyed, and his face was purple in many different places. His eyes were now open and they were a dull blue, which looked directly at the eyes of his mentor.

"It's ok, you're going to be fine, Dick," Bruce tried to reassure the young boy in his arms while he ran to of Leslie's clinic.

The time in the car had been torturous because he could hear the little bird's moans of pain, but now, looking into those eyes was worse. There was no light in them; they were just dulled by pain.  
He ran into the back door of the clinic, where Leslie, thanks to a call made earlier, was waiting with a stretcher ready for the boy.

"Oh God…" came from the doctor's lips while Bruce laid the boy down in the stretcher.

She noticed that his blue eyes were open and he was looking blankly at the ceiling, her heart jumping with worry and fear. Dick was conscious, he was feeling everything, all the pain and uneasiness.

"Dick, honey, can you hear me?"

Arriving at the back of the clinic, the part that was reserved for Batman and Robin emergencies, Leslie began checking Richard's wounds.

Letting out a small whimper the boy answered, "Leslie? It hurts," his voice slurring thanks to the pain.

"I know, I know, honey…I'll give you something that'll help you, ok?" She was tearing apart the rest of his clothes so she could check the damage.

It was grave, very grave. She injected the boy with a thin syringe filled with a clear liquid. It made Dick's body relax but he was still staring at the ceiling blankly.

"It's ok to sleep, Dickie, you're going to be just fine, just sleep…and when you wake up everything is going to be fine," Bruce ran a hand across his black locks and the boy closed his eyes, though he wasn't asleep. He could still hear voices, but he didn't really listen to them. The only things that filled his mind were memories; the memories of the time he spent in the cage, the time Joker got his dirty hands on him, when he hit him, all those horrible memories. Tears escaped his eyes, although they were closed. And Bruce saw it. With the cowl off of his face he watched as tears found their way down Dick's cheeks. He felt his hand turn into fits. Joker was going to pay for this.

Leslie worked on him desperately. Trying to stop the bleeding and stabilize the young hero, but as soon as she realized he had internal bleeding, the look in her eyes change drastically.

"He needs surgery, Bruce. I can't stop the internal bleeding…" Bruce eyebrows touched each other as they furrowed.

"Can you do it by yourself?"

"I'll have to take him to the surgery room. I'll call some people, don't worry I trust them, so there's no risk. Ok?"

"Just….save him," Bruce sounded calm, but, at heart, he was scared to death. What does his identity when he was about to lose Dick?

"I need you to stay here, though," the physician replied slowly.

And Bruce stayed. Hours passed and every second was a painful reminder of his son fighting for his life. Sometimes he looked so fragile and small, it was hard to get used to the idea of him being one of the most brave and experienced superheroes in the world.

Waiting for Leslie to come back, he found himself thinking about the night he had taken Dick in.

_It was a rainy and cold evening. It was Gotham after all. A week had passed since the night he had seen the famous acrobats, 'The Flying Graysons', fall to their death. He had seen the young boy so lost and broken because of the death of his family. A familiar feeling had settled within him. The boy looked so young and desolate; he knew how it was to lose all the family you had. He couldn't save those people and now a child was orphaned because of that. He knew it was his fault._

_He remembered how affected the young boy was, his name was Richard, when he tried to hold onto his mother's hand while the paramedics tried to take away her body. He had seen how the paramedics tried to calm him down, but they ended up sedating him and laying him on a stretcher until a social worker came to take him to an orphanage or someplace like that. He had woken up before the social worker arrived, that was when Bruce talked to him. And the young man discovered a glimpse of the amazing person behind that lonely boy._

_Now paying attention to the newspaper he had in his hand, he knew it hadn't been like that, he was in a detention facility. WHAT? That young boy, that innocent young boy in a detention facility? They had got to be kidding…_

_He ran, literally ran. After telling Alfred about it, he picked one of his many cars and drove directly to the place where Gotham's social system was keeping the young acrobat. He knew how it felt to be alone, to lose the ones you loved the most, and being in a detention facility definitely wasn't the way to helping him._

_It was raining as if the sky was about to burst over his head. The center looked creepy and desolate. It was a gray building with no glimpse of color or happiness. It was horrible… He didn't pay attention to getting wet on the way to the entrance of the center, he just thought of the broken little boy that was trapped there, somehow waiting for someone to save him._

_"Mr. Wayne?" muttered the confused lady that attended the front desk of he facility._

_"I need to see the boy," he said with a hint of fury creeping in his voice._

_"The boy, Mr. Wayne?" if she was confused when the billionaire stormed in, she was even more confused now, "I'm afraid I don't know who are you talking about."_

_"Richard Grayson. THAT boy, I heard they put him in here. I want to take him…NOW," maybe he said that with a little more intensity than what was necessary, but he was worried._

_"Oh…the circus boy. Yes, he is here but…" the man frowned making the woman tremble._

_"Take me to him," he ordered and the now scared lady guided him to a locked room at the end of a dark hallway (that looked more as a dirty alley for him). She opened the heavy looking door and the sight in there left the young man speechless._

_Young Richard was curled in a small trembling ball in an uncomfortable looking bed, with his hair messier than usual. His eyes closed heavily and his hand gripped around a stuffed little elephant, muttering nonsensical words in soft whispers._

_"Richard…"said Bruce with a soft voice, way different that the one he had used with the receptionist._

_The child just flinched, "Richard, do you remember me? I'm Bruce Wayne."_

_"Mr. Wayne?" said the little acrobat, not louder than a whisper._

_He opened his blue eyes. In that moment that the young boy looked the billionaire in the eyes, he launched himself at his strong arms, hiding his face in the man's chest. Bruce found himself holding his little and trembling body tightly. Richard on the other hand was grateful that finally someone was comforting him. He was so scared, so lonely and so lost that the simple arrival of some important man, that had spoken to him the night that his family died, meant something he thought he would never have again…hope._

_"It's ok, it's ok. I'm taking you away from here," he said, his face buried in the kid's hair, walking away with the child in his arms._

_"Mr. Wayne…you can't…" the woman had reminded silent until now._

_"As I said, I'm taking him. My butler already called a lawyer, she is on her way here, you can wait for her, but this boy is not spending another minute in this place," he replied reaching the front door leaving. The lady just stared at him incredulously with widened eyes._

_The young man placed the boy on the back seat of his car and secured the seatbelt. Then he reached for the front door, once he was inside he started the car and began driving towards Wayne Manor._

_When they arrived, Alfred was already waiting for them by the front door of the Manor, a big umbrella waiting for the three of them. Bruce was carrying Richard in his arms, since he seemed too sleepy and weak to walk by himself. Together the three of them entered the house and walked upstairs towards the room Alfred had prepared for the boy. His clothes looked dirty and his arms were cover with purplish bruises. They abused him there…_

_Bruce laid Richard in the bed because the dark shadows under the child's eyes showed that he hadn't slept an hour in the last week. The boy's big blue eyes looked at him with tiredness and gratitude._

_"Do you remember me?" Bruce asked._

_"You are Mr. Bruce Wayne, you talked to me the night my….the night they…" he couldn't make himself finish the sentence._

_"Yes, I'm the one that talked to you…that night, call me Bruce and he is Alfred Pennyworth. He's an old friend and my butler (but he does more than you think)."_

_"Hi, Mr. Pennyworth" he said shyly._

_"Oh, please just call me Alfred, Master Richard," he said with a strong British accent._

_"You can call me Dick, everyone does since I can remember and it's shorter than my complete name, I like it."_

_"Dick, then," Bruce said._

_"Why did you take me away from there? Not that I'm ungrateful for that, but I thought…I thought you were a very important person and I'm just a circus boy…"_

_"Stop…I took you from there, because I want you to live with me, if that's ok with you."_

_"Are you…are you serious?"_

_Bruce nodded and without warning the boy launched himself again into Bruce's arms._  
_"Thank you, thank you," the boy muttered and then he passed out from the exhaustion, with Bruce holding him and smiling slightly._

"Bruce," Leslie's voice snapped him out of his memories.

"He is stable now," she announced with tired voice, "We had to operate on his leg, it was broken in three different points, his arm is broken too, but it didn't need surgery. One of his six broken ribs perforated his left lung but we repaired it, he needs help at breathing for the moment, that's why we are keeping him sedated and intubated until he is strong enough to breathe for himself. We had to stitch a lot of wounds and re-stitch some others all over his body, including his face. His appendix had to be removed because of the amount of hits it received. Two of his left hand fingers were shattered, it needed surgery too. There're no concussions according to the tomography, and if there is one, it's minor. He needed two blood transfusions and we had to reset his collarbone," she looked exhausted but after a moment he smiled a little when she said, "He is going to live and recover."

"Oh," Bruce sighed in relieve, "Thank you Leslie." He felt so relieved that Dick was going to be okay. But never again…never again was he going to let this happened.

"Leslie, can I stay with him?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, but I need you to stay calm and be patient, he wont wake up in a while and you need to sleep and take a shower," she said and then she fell in the count of something, "You're going to…"

"He will never be in this position again, Leslie" he said firmly.

"Maybe a time without it, but not forever Bruce," she replied sadly.

"I don't think so… I don't want to see him like that again."

They reached the room where Dick was sleeping and the sight hit Bruce with force. He was so broken and covered with bandages, his eyes were closed and a tube ran down his throat. An IV line that supplied him with the meds to keep him asleep was attached to his arm. Machines surrounded his whole body. It looked like he would shatter at any moment.

"I'm taking away Robin from him, Leslie, I'm not letting this happen again. I swear."

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**Long chapter that cleared Bruce's mind :O Is he serious?...Ohh my poor little Dick. What have I done to you? **

**Hello everyone! Not excuses for the long wait, just...life. What do you think? Let me know, please!**

**Anyway thanks for reading! and thanks to all the people who reviewed, followed or added this to their favorites list!**

**Did you notice the amazing cover? It was drawn by Asha Carcella :D It's amazing and wonderful, isn't it? **

**Angie **


	5. Beta announcement

**As you may or may not know, my beta Asha Carcella had to leave the site, a shame, really 'cause she is a wonderful person and helped me a lot. I could never be enough grateful with her, she helped me a lot and I will never forget her :') and I will miss her a lot. But I really want to keep posting chapters with the maximum level of spelling, grammar and characterization. Maybe you know, if you had read about me in my profile page, that my first language isn't English, so probably if I update a chapter that haven't been corrected, it may contain typos or repeat a word a lot of times and things like that. So I don't feel sure enough to update without someone correcting me. That's why I had the fortune to get a new Beta :D: Potter4me will be helping me with the mess I create in every chapter. So a big Thank You! **

**Angie **


	6. Chapter 5

**New chapter! Hello, hello everyone...I'm here with the new chapter and an apology for the long wait. But it's finally here and corrected as it has to be thanks to my new Beta Potter4me, who kindly accepted the challenge to correct the mess I create in every chapter *Claps* Thank you!. ******** I want to say thanks to all those ones who reviewed, favorited or followed this :D. You made me very happy!**

**********Well guys enjoy...**

**Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing fics if I actually owned DC characters. I will be making YJ's third season possible D: **

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Chapter 5

Darkness. Emptiness. Loneliness. No more…where was he? His whole body felt numb and tired and when he looked down, there wasn't anything wrong with his body beside the fact that his clothes were completely white. Seriously where was he? What was he doing there?

There was no sound around him, no movement. _Nothing_. Just him and the darkness that surrounded him. It felt like if he was standing but he couldn't be sure of that. His throat felt sore but still he tried to call for someone...

"Hello?" In fact his voice was raspy. "Is someone there?" He tried again, but not even his voice's echo was listening.

Suddenly a small and broken noise cut off the intense silence. A small whimper. The noise grew louder and suddenly a small thing was placed in front of him magically, it was the cause of the weird noise. Slowly he reached the thing and kneeled in front of it, only to find a little bird, specifically a robin…a _dying _robin. Carefully he picked up the little bird with his hands, not caring about the blood that began to stain them. With both its wings broken, it was easy to see that the little animal was in its last moments of life, but there was another detail that called Dick's attention. The wings weren't what was killing it, it was another wound that was killing the Robin. It was not an animal wound, in fact, the cause of the chest wound was still there, something dark and sharp, something that wasn't supposed to be used to hurt a robin…a batarang_. _Bruce's batarang had killed a robin… What? Bruce's….no, he wouldn't, but he was the only one with access to those things, so what was that supposed to mean?

The blood dripping from the small body of the animal soon became a red pool in his hands and he felt so useless…he couldn't save it, it was too late for the bird. The wound was too extended, and the blood was too much, and even if there was a chance to save the robin, it would be damaged forever. By now, he was already fading away. He saw it, he witnessed the moment when the broken bird closed his dulled eyes forever.

"No!" he tried to call it, but it was too late, it was already gone forever.

Out of nowhere Bruce appeared wearing Batman's suit, but with the cowl off of his face. "You know I had to do it right?" he asked in a quiet but strong voice.

"What? You didn't have to! He could have…"

"He was broken, Dick, he wasn't going to fly again and he was going to die anyway."

It couldn't be Bruce who was speaking. Not only did it not sound like him at all, but in his lips was plastered a weird grin that looked so much like the Joker's. Who the hell was he?

"You´re not Bruce," he said panicking. He began to back away from "Bruce", terrified for what may happen if he could get near him.

"Back off!" He shouted, barely hiding the tremble in his voice.

"What's wrong, Dick?" The man in front of him said smiling evilly, a man who was definitely not Bruce. "Are you afraid to be broken? Are you afraid to die?" He was getting nearer and nearer, as if corralling Dick into a corner, and thought there wasn't a corner, only empty black space, it sure felt like one to the young hero.

"No! Get away from me!" The boy shouted again, but it seemed to only make the man get nearer and smile even more. That smile, that smile would hunt him in his sleep, the smile of the mad man who had tortured him until he was almost dead. _Joker_.

Tears began to stream down his face for the terror he was feeling.

"Stay away! Stay away!" He yelled. Shutting his eyes closed and still holding the little dead robin in his hand, he tried to run, but found out he couldn't. Then he started to feel all the pain all over again, as if he was still tied up and being beaten by the mad criminal.

He was still screaming when he woke up. Bruce (the real Bruce) was by his bedside stroking his hair and shushing him with soft words, trying to get him calmed down. The teen's mind was foggy and his whole body was feeling numb and cold.

"Dick, it's ok, it's ok, you're safe. It's over, chum, it's over." Bruce tried to give him some comfort, rubbing his hand, but he was still too damaged for a full hug, and not being able to give his boy all the comfort he needed was slowly killing him.

Dick was in a full panic attack, breathing uneasily in the hospital bed. Bruce was both surprised and worried, Leslie had come an hour or so ago, saying that, after almost five days intubated, Dick was finally ready to breath by himself, but she also had said he was going to be out for about a day more. Dick had woke up an hour after thanks to a nightmare, a new kind of nightmare clearly. Hadn't he had enough of those, already? He was thirteen! He didn't need that pain in his life. He should be like the other teenagers, hanging around with friends and getting grounded for things that didn't make sense. But no, he was recovering in a hospital bed, recovering from the attack of a maniac. It was just not fair.

"Hey Dick, I'm here, chum, you're safe, you're not there anymore," he was really trying to talk some sense into the young hero, and it seemed to be working after a few attempts. Dick's breathing began to ease.

"Bruce?" Dick tried to say, but thanks to his loss of breath it sounded more like he was choking. He tried to get up, but it only stressed some of his injuries.

"Shh, don't move, you're still too weak for that, Dick." Gently, Bruce pushed him towards the pillows. "You want to talk about it?"

"No, no yet," he whispered ashamedly in a raspy voice that Bruce noted immediately.

"Here, drink this," Bruce held a glass of water with a straw next to Dick so that he didn't have to move his arms or hands. The boy drank gratefully.

"Thanks," he said in a much clearer voice than before. "How much time was I out?"

"Five days, but you need to rest even more, Dick," Bruce replied gravely.

"I will recover, right?" For a moment, the boy's eyes looked frightened and surprised.

"Yes, you will, but there's something we have to talk about later," Bruce said, listening a nurse approach the room. She entered with a smile in her lips and a clipboard in her hands.

"Oh…Hello, Mr. Grayson! I thought you will be sleep for more time, but now that you're awake I can give you a few tests. I need to make sure you didn't get permanent damage. It was quite an accident you had," she said, approaching the boy's bedside.

Something was wrong….

Dick had tensed up and his eyes had grown bigger. His hands were trembling and the monitor that indicated his heartbeat went crazy. His breath got caught in his throat as if he couldn't breathe anymore.

"Get away," the young boy whispered, "Stay away from me." The nurse stopped in the middle of the way towards the bed, surprised by the words.

"Dick, what's wrong?" Bruce asked, worried about the sudden change in his boy's attitude.

"Go away, don't hurt me and go away…" he repeated, his eyes brimming with tears. What the hell was happening?

"Dick, she is not going to hurt you, she only wants to make sure…"

"NO!" he shouted, even he didn't know what was happening. Something in the back of his mind told him that she was not going to hurt him, but other part said that he had to get away from her, that she was unknown and unknown was dangerous, people were dangerous. Bruce glanced over at the EKG, worried about Dick's erratic heartbeat. The teen's body was now trembling completely and tear had started streaming down his face. What…?

The nurse worried and confused decided that this was a problem out of her league. "I'll go call Dr. Thompkins," she said, leaving both of them alone.

"Dick…"

"No, don't let her come back in," he said with panic in his voice, "She will hurt us, hurt you, hurt me…" His rapid and shallow breathing was getting worse.

"No, Dick, she was just trying to…" Bruce tried again to explain to him her intentions, but it seemed as if he wasn't listening, so he stopped trying and concentered himself on getting his son calmed down. "Ok, ok, I'm not letting her coming back, just relax, chum, no one will hurt you now." He began soothingly rubbing circles in to Richard's good arm.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you...calm down," it was a promise, maybe he had broken it earlier, but not now, now it was completely serious. Dick took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes while Bruce dried his tears.

"That's it, can you tell me what happened?" The older man asked once Dick was calmed down.

"I didn't know, I just know she wanted to harm us," he tried to explain, opening his big blue eyes.

"Why?" Bruce tried again, curious about the reason of Dick's attitude. The young acrobat wasn't like that, he was cherry and talkative, polite when he didn't really know the people, but getting all terrified and suspicions about someone wasn't really him.

"People are dangerous, unknown…the unknown is dangerous, Bruce," he said in a really quiet whisper. Leslie interrupted him when she entered to the room slowly, trying not to stress the young boy. Fortunately she didn't. He just smiled a little at her, but that smile didn't reach his eyes at all.

"Hi, sweetie, how are you feeling?" Leslie asked calmly getting nearer

"Hi, Leslie, I feel numb," the boy made a face and then tried to smile.

"That's because you are under a good amount of pain killers, sweetie, tell me if you start to feel any pain, ok?" she told him, checking on the EKG and the IV bag.

He nodded slowly, trying not to unease his already messy head. He was feeling really tired and the world's greatest detective noted it instantly.

"Try to get more rest Dick," Bruce said with gentle but firm voice, he needed to talk with Leslie. The physician nodded in agreement.

" 'kay" the acrobat yawned, letting his eye lids drop. Soon his breathing became regular and he fell asleep.

"What happened?" Leslies said with a note of concern in her voice.

"I don't know, Leslie, he began panicking when the nurse entered to the room, he was very disturbed. And when she decided to leave, he told me…he told me that people were dangerous, that the unknown was dangerous," he stopped for a moment and then he asked, "what do you think made him want to say that?"

"I'm not sure, but I think he has a case of Post-traumatic stress disorder, after all he's been through, it's very feasible. I propose giving him some time to heal. Maybe you can wait…"

"No, I'm going to tell him as earlier as possible, I can't lie to him."

'You're so stubborn,' Leslie thought, but didn't speak a word, she only nodded resignedly.

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'It is a great excuse…no scratch that, it's a great reason,' Bruce thought, sitting in Dick's hospital room trying to figure out how to explain to Dick the situation and the reasons for his choice.

His son was still sleeping. Dick's skin looked pale and there were deep shadows under his eyes, but Bruce was sure he was going to be just fine…physically, his mind state was still a problem. He didn't want to hurt him, he wanted him to recover and to have a nice and long life….He really needed to stop the patrols and all this stuff that was taking away his normal life. He didn't have other option at this point.

Dick's blue eyes called his attention. He was awake now, it was time. He had to do it, he had to….why did it sound more as a torture than as a better option?

"Hi, Bruce" Dick said, quietly sighing.

"Hi, Dick, How are you feeling?"

"Tired, I'm wide awake, though," he said trying to sit up in the mattress.

"Don't even think about it," Bruce said, reaching the back of the bed and pushing the button that will make Dick's bed move into a sitting position by itself.

"Thanks," the boy said smiling a little.

After a few silent minutes Bruce spoke. "Hey Dick….listen…I want…I want to say I'm sorry, I should have reach you sooner. There are no excuses for this, I should have worked harder and…"

"Stop, Bruce, it's not your fault, I should have followed my contingence plans or at least tried to protect myself and the team…"

"Dick you were hurt, you are hurt now, I shouldn't have left you there. I…I'm sorry Dick, but I have made a decision…" he took a deep breath trying not to look into those questioning blue eyes that were filled with fear and suspicions.

"What is it?" The boy tried to hide the tremble in his voice but failed miserably, he had a detective's mind and couldn't just ignore all the things that might be coming.

"I….I'm not letting you go out as Robin again, I'm not letting you go out as a vigilant at all Dick," that was it, "I can't see you again as I see you four nights ago, I failed you and I'm not going to let that happen again, I'm sorry."

The young acrobat got pale as a sheet, his eyes widened and his heart jumped…. _"What?"_

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***Screams and cries WHAT? No! BRUCE!...wait I actually write this, so I know there's so much more about this than what you're thinking guys, just wait until next chapter. :)**

**Reviews please! They make me happy :D**

**P.S. I really want to thank to all the people who worried about the beta thing. and everyone who offered deserves a cookie, but I can't give it to you so I'll just say THANK YOU!**

**Angie. **


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